State To Pay Fees In U Of I Lawsuit About Records

The state of Iowa will pay $30,500 in legal fees accumulated by a newspaper in a lawsuit over access to records from the University of Iowa.

In a case that went all the way to the state Supreme Court, the university won the right to withhold certain records requested by the Iowa City Press-Citizen in 2007. But the courts ruled that other documents sought in the suit were public records and ordered their release.

Because the case resulted in some records being released, the university did not challenge the district court’s order that the state pay the newspaper’s attorney fees.

The district court order came out in 2009, and the Supreme Court issued its ruling last month. The $30,500 payment was formally approved Monday by the State Appeal Board, the panel responsible for reviewing and signing off on the state’s legal settlements.